Helvetireader trumped by Google

A couple days ago I installed Helvetireader a script for firefox that gives Google Reader a spiffed-up interface centered around a cleaner look.

I hadn’t really even used it enough to weigh in my two cents on the subject when Google itself released an update to their standard interface:

It not only cleans up the look with a plainer font but addresses some organizational issues by allowing you to collapse some of the side bars. This is a design issue I’ve been looking for for some time since if you have a healthy (insane?) amount of feeds the sidebar can quickly become difficult to maneuver. Here’s hoping this marks the beginning of more improvements for the interface. Or perhaps someone will have to prod Google into making a move with yet another hack.